Earring guard chain and means for securement to the hair



Dec. 29, 1964 J. M. KENNY EARRING GUARD CHAIN AND MEANS FOR SECUREMENT TO THE HAIR Filed Nov. 21, 1962 INVENTOR.

- \JOHN M. KENNY United States Patent 3,163,026 EARRING GUARD CHAIN AND MEANS FGR SECUREMENT TO THE HAIR John M. Kenny, 4708 Park Ave., Weehaw'ken, NJ. Filed Nov. 21, 1962, Ser. No. 239,217 3 Claims. (Cl. 6314) This invention relates to a new and useful safety guard to prevent loss of earrings or other car ornaments, and prevents loss of one or two earrings at a time.

Many women possess earrings which are quite valuable. The earrings come in pairs and the loss of a single earring is often very distressing as well as costly. Frequently an earring slips oft" the wearers ear without being noticed, so that by the time the earring is missed, the wearer is ofter unable to determine where and under what circumstances the earring was lost. Many women collect large numbers of pairs of earrings of different designs. It is desirable to keep those earrings which belong to a pair together when on and off the owners cars.

It is a principal object of the invention to provide a safety guard assembly which includes a hairpin, a chain for engaging a pair of earrings, and a clasp which engages the chain to prevent loss of either or both earrings.

Another object is to provide a safety guard assembly as described, wherein the clasp permits adjustable positioning of the hairpin in the hair.

A further object is to provide a safety guard assembly as described wherein the clasp is mounted on the hairpin and is concealed in the wearers hair.

Other objects are to provide a safety guard for earrings or ornaments which is light in weight, inexpensive, easily operated, attractive in appearance, adaptable to use with hairpins of various types, and operative without interference with normal use of earrings and ear ornaments.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, and to the appended claims in which the various novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure:

FIG. 1 is a plan View of an earring safety guard assembly and a pair of earrings embodying the invention.

FIG. 2 is a rear view on an enlarged scale of part of a hairpin, chain and clasp of the assembly of FIG. 1-, showing the chain in one position of engagement with the clasp.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3-3 of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a rear view similar to FIG. 2 showing the chain in another position of engagement with the clasp.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of another hairpin with clasp and chain.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of part of a modified chain and an earring.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown in FIGS. 1-4 a safety guard assembly 10 which includes a generally U-shaped hairpin 12, and a chain 14. The pin has legs integral with bight 16. On the rear side of bight 16 of the hairpin is a spring clasp 18. This clasp has a body 19 which is generally rectangular in form and has one edge 20 secured by welding or other suitable means to the lower edge of the bight 16. The springy clasp body has a free other edge 21 formed with a rounded finger 22 which bears on the rear side 17 of bight 16 under tension of the clasp body. The body 19 is arched and spaced from the bight 16 to provide a passage P therebetween. Chain 14 can be drawn through this passage in either direction as illustrated in FIG. 4.

3,163,026 Patented Dec. 29, 1964 "ice The chain has a plurality of groups of large hing links 23 spaced apart by lengths of small links 24. The maximum diameter of the links 23 is less than the width of passage P to permit passage of the chain therethrough. The finger 22 has a length which is less than the internal diameter than any of links 23 so as to engage in any of these links as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 to prevent the chain from slipping through or off the clasp.

At opposite ends of the chain are spring rings 26 which engage on loops 28 of earrings 30. The rings 26 cannot accidentally slip off the loops 28 due to the larger screws 32 and ornaments 34 at opposite ends of the loops.

The hairpin 12 may have ornamental jewels 33 secured on its front side by prongs 35. These jewels may be precious or semi-precious stones or may be imitation gems. The legs 15, which are integral with bight 16, can be inserted at any convenient location in the wearers hair with the front jeweled portion exposed. The chain will be slipped off of finger 22 and inwardly of the clasp into passage P as shown in FIG. 4 for adjusting the position of the pin along the chain. Then when the location of the hairpin is selected, the chain will be moved laterally outward to engage the finger 22 inside the nearest large ring link 23. The earrings 30 cannot be lost if they slip off the wearers cars, since they will be held by the chain which in turn is held by the clasp of the hairpin anchored in the wearers hair.

The earrings can be worn, and can be attached and .removed without any interference by the safety guard assembly. When the safety guard assembly is removed from the wearers hair the earrings may be left attached to the chain. Then the owner can place the entire assembly in a jewel box with the assurance that one earring will not accidentally become separated from the chain and the chain will not accidentally become separated from the hairpin.

FIG. 5 shows a modified form of hairpin 12 This is a bobby pin embodying the invention. This pin has a rather straight spring leg 49 juxtaposed to a corrugated spring leg 42 under spring tension of the integral with the bight 16. At the rear side of the bight is a spring clasp 13' identical to that described heretofore. It has a finger 22 at the end of body 19' and engages chain 14 in its passage P. A jewel 45 may be held on the front of the bight at the top of leg 42 by prongs 46.

FIG. 6 shows chain 14" provided with a spring loop 50 at its end in place of the'spring ring 26 shown in FIG. 1. Instead of earrings employing screws 32 for fastening as shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, other types of earrings may be used having spring catches, or the like.

In any case the invention will assure against acciden-. tal loss of one or both earrings due to separation of one or both earrings from the ears of the wearer while the hairpin remains engaged in the wearers hair. While the earrings are off the wearers ears, the chain keeps the earrings together as a pair.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise constructions herein disclosed and that various changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

1. A safety guard for earrings, or the like, comprising a chain of large and small links, spring means at opposite ends of the chain for detachably engaging two earrings respectively, a generally U-shaped hairpin, and a clasp on the bight of said hairpin detachably engaged This loop engages loop 28" of earning 30";

with said chain, said clasp having a springy body secured at one edge to said bight the opposite edge of the body being unattached, said body having a rounded finger at its said opposite edge contacting the bight of the hairpin, said body being arched outwardly of the bight of the hairpin to define a passage between said hairpin and body, said chain being disposed in and extending through said passage, said passage having a Width between opposite edges of the clasp body which width is greater than the maximum Width of each of said links for freely passing the chain through the passage, said finger constituting means insertible through each of the large links.

2. A safety guard for earrings or the like, comprising a chain of links, spring means at opposite ends of the chain for detachably engaging two earrings respectively, a generally U-shaped hairpin, and a clasp on the bight of said hairpin detachably engaged with said chain, said clasp having a springy body secured at one edge to said bight, said body having a rounded finger at its opposite edge contacting the bight of the hairpin, said body being arched outwardly of the bight of the hairpin to define a passage therebetween, said chain being disposed in and extending through said passage, the links of the chain in cluding groups of interengaged large rings spaced apart by lengths of smaller links, said finger constituting means insertible through each of the large rings for securing the chain to the pin.

3. A safety guard for earrings or the like, comprising a chain of links, spring means at opposite ends of the chain for detachably engaging two earrings respectively, a generally U-shaped hairpin, and a clasp on the bight of said hairpin detachably engaged with said chain, said clasp having a springy body secured at one edge to said bight, said body having a rounded finger at its opposite edge contacting the bight of the hairpin, said body being arched outwardly of the b ight of the hairpin to define a passage therebetween, said chain being disposed in and extending through said passage, the links of the chain including groups of in-terengaged large rings spaced apart by lengths of smaller links, said finger constituting means insertible through each of the large rings for securing the chain to the pin, said passage having a Width bet ecu opposite edges of the clasp body which Width is greater than the external diameter of each of said rings for freely passing the chain through said passage when the finger is disengaged from the rings.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNiTED STATES PATENTS 188,323 Weed Mar. 13, 1877 1,199,279 Krudop Sept. 26, 1916 1,236,076 Fuller Aug. 7, 1917 1,306,535 Greene "June 10, 1919 1,582,383 Connally Apr. 27, 1926 1,632,716 Schweigert lune 14, 1927 1,732,250 Wehse Oct. 22, 1929 1,900,979 De Ment Mar. 14, 1933 

1. A SAFETY GUARD FOR EARRINGS OR THE LIKE, COMPRISING A CHAIN OF LARGE AND SMALL LINKS, SPRING MEANS AT OPPOSITE ENDS OF THE CHAIN FOR DETACHABLY ENGAGING TWO EARRINGS RESPECTIVELY,A GENERALLY U-SHAPED HAIRPIN, AND A CLASP ON THE BIGHT OF SAID HAIRPIN DETACHABLY ENGAGED WITH SAID CHAIN, SAID CLASP HAVING A SPRINGY BODY SECURED AT ONE EDGE TO SAID BIGHT THE OPPOSITE EDGE OF THE BODY BEING UNATTACHED, SAID BODY HAVING A ROUNDED FINGER AT ITS SAID OPPOSITE EDGE CONTACTING THE BIGHT OF THE HAIRPIN, SAID BODY BEING ARCHED OUTWARDLY OF THE BIGHT OF THE HAIRPIN TO DEFINE A PASSAGE BETWEEN SAID HAIRPIN AND BODY, SAID CHAIN BEING DISPOSED IN AND EXTENDING THROUGH SAID PASSAGE, SAID PASSAGE HAVING A WIDTH BETWEEN OPPOSITE EDGES OF THE CLASP BODY WHICH WIDTH IS GREATER THAN THE MAXIMUM WIDTH OF EACH OF SAID LINKS FOR FREELY PASSING THE CHAIN THROUGH THE PASSAGE, SAID FINGER CONSTITUTING MEANS INSERTIBLE THROUGH EACH OF THE LARGE LINKS. 